Rod-connector.



R. C. KELLEY.

ROD CONNECTOR.

APPLICATION FILED MN. 18. 191s.

1,177,869. Patented Apr. 4, 1916. EL El.. E3... l@ E fo i 7% 622? MMM/$454 :Ime/1u @ma ROBERT C. KELLEY, 0F CHAUTAUQUA, KANSAS.

ROD-CONNECTOR.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 18, 1915. Serial N o. 2,974.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, ROBERT C. KELLEY, a citizen ot' the United States7 residing at Chautauqua` in the county of Chautauqua and State of Kansas. have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rod-Connectors; and I do declare the following to be a full. clear and exact description ot the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and ilse thel saine. j

This invention relates to improvements in rod. connectors and more particularly to rod clamps such as are employed for connecting the sections ot' sucker rods used in oil we lls.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple, cheap and reliable clamp for coupling together the contiguous ends of the sections of a rod. whereby the employment ot' nuts or screw threads is dispensed with and the rod sections securely clamped together. I

Vith the above and other objects in view the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 represents a front elevation of this improved rod connector; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section thereof taken on the line 2-2 of F ig. 1; showing the parts in position for clamping a rod; Fig. 3 is a similar view with the parts in position for releasing the rodzF ig. 4 is a side elevation of the rod clamping member and lock detached; Fig. 5 is a similar view taken in a plane at right angle-s to Fig. l; Fig. 6 is a transverse section taken on the line 6 6 of Fig. 2.

In the embodiment illustrated, a tubular casing 1 is shown having a bore 2 tapering toward one end and having a longitudinally extending slot 3 in one side wall. The end walls of this slot are provided respectively with a stud l extending longitudinally inward and a tapered recess 5 for a purpose to be described.

Removably and slidably mounted in said casing l, is a head 6 having a socket 7 in one end and its other end bifurcated with the wall between the furcations recessed near one end as shown at 8 to receive a cam like member to be described.

A pair of clamping jaws9 and 10 have one end thereof recessed as shown at 11, the inner walls of said recesses being artends transversely through the solid ends of the jaws, a sufficient space being` provided Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

between the inner walls of the socket and the outer faces of the united jaws to provide for the opening of these jaws to receive the .rod or other implement to be clamped between them.

The rod section 1-1 or other member to be connected b v this device is provided at its jaw engaging end with a head l5 which is here shown conoidal in shape, said head being largest at its outer extremity and contracting in diameter therefrom inwardly until it merges into the rod proper. The recesses 11 in the jaws 9 and 10 are correspondingly enlarged at their inner ends to provide an outwardly tapering seat or socket for the reception ot' said head 15. The outer faces of these jaws at the recessed or socketed ends thereof are also tapered outwardly and are adapted to fit in the smaller end of the casing 1 forming a wedge-like connection between the jaws and said casing so that they are firmly held by the casing in closed position and the rod 14 thereby securely gripped and held between the jaws, the gripping action being facilitated by the outward pulling of the rod.

Mounted between the turc-ations and the inner -end of the head 6. is a locking meinberA 16 which is here shown made in the form of a. globular member 17 having portions of its opposite sides cut away as shown at 1S to form a longitudinally extending rib 19 which merges into a neck 20 formed integral with said globular' member. This rib 19 and the neck into -which it merges. is curved on its outer face andlis provided with an arcuate slot 21, being arranged parallel with the curved edge of said rib and through which the pivot 22 which connects said locking member with the head 6, passes. The globular member 17 has an aperture 23 extending transversely therethrough 'in a plane at right angles to the plane of the slot 21 and which is designed to receive a pivot 24 which passes through the casing 1 in a plane at right angles to the slot 3 therein, and by means of which said locking element is held within the casing 1.

The neck 20l is straight on the edge opposite the curved slotted edge thereof and is disposed substantially flush with the outer be housed as will be face of the globular member 17, being provided at its base with a socket 25 in which one end of a coiled spring 26 is designed to hereinafter more fully described. The curved and straight edges of this neck 20 form at their meeting point, a beak-like point 27 which is here shown apertured to receive an actuating loop or link 28 and which is designed for swinging the locking member on its pivot for throwing it into and out of locking operation, as

will be hereinafter more fully described.l

The outer rounded face of the rib 19 and neck 20 is. designed to be housed in the curved recessed wall of the head 6 between the furcations thereof when the device is in closed orlocking position and in which position, it is normally held by the coiled spring 26, said spring having one end housed in the socket 25 of the locking member and its other end engaged with the stud 4 in the lower end wall of the slot 3 as is shown clearly in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

In the use of this device, the head 6 carrying the clamping jaws 9 and 10 at one end and the locking element 16 at its other end, is inserted in the casing 1 from the larger end thereof, the jaws being inserted first and passing through the bore of the casing into the reduced end thereof. l/Vhen the locking element 16 is positioned in said casing with its transversely extending aperture 23 in alinement with the transverse aperture in the casing 1, the pivot is inserted through said registering apertures and thus operatively mounts the locking element and the clamping jaws connected therewith within the casing 1, the straight edge of the rib 19 being arranged opposite the slot 3 in said casing with the link 28 disposed opposite said slot in position for engagement bythe finger of the operator or by an implement for turning said locking member downward, whereby its curved outer edge is moved out of the socket between the furcations of the head 6 and draws said head inward into the easing. thereby moving the clamping ends of the jaws into a larger portion of the casing bore and permitting said jaws to open and release the rod section gripped between them. When it is desired to lock the rod section or any other implement inthe clamp ing jaws, this locking member is turned back into the position shown in Fig. 2, where it is held by the vcoiled spring 26 and the clamping jaws are forced outwardly into the reduced end of the tapered bore of the casing, and thus reliably locked in the clamped po'- sition by their wedge-like engagement with said bore end.

The head 6 has a recess 6 formed therein at the end of the furcations and registering with the space between them to receive the loop or link 28 when the lock is in closed po-Y rod once clamped threaded for threaded engagement with the member 29 which may be a rod or other implement to which the rod section is to be con-- nected by this improved connector.

From the above, it will be obvious that a by this connector, will be reliably held and the more force there is eX- erted to pull it outward, the more firmly will it be bound or clamped within the casing and it cannot be released until the locking element is turned outwardly against the tension of the spring 26 in the manner above described. f

`I claim as my invention:

1. A clamping device comprising a tubular casing having an opening in one side wall thereof, clamping jaws ymounted for sliding movement therein, means for closing said jaws on their outward movement, a cam member pivotally mounted in said casing to swing out through said casing opening, and having a longitudinally extending cam slot therein, means connected with said jaws and having a pivot engaging said slot,

vwhereby the jaws are retracted on the outward swinging of the cam and projected on the inward swinging thereof.

2. A clamping device comprising a Ltubular casing having an opening in one side Wall thereof, lclamping jaws mounted for sliding movelnent therein, means for closing said jaws on their outward movement, a cam member `pivotally mounted in said casing to swing out through said casing opening, a head loosely connected at one end with said jaws and having a recess in its other end, a jaw operating element -pivotally mounted in said casing to swing throughthe opening thereinv and having a longitudinally slotted cam extending into the recess of said head, a pivot extending transversely through said head and through the slot in said cam whereby the jaws are retracted-on the outward4 swinging of the cam and projected on the inward swinging thereof. l

3. A clamping device comprising a tubular casing having an opening n`one side wall thereof, clamping jaws mounted for sliding movement therein, means for clos-A ing said jaws on their outward movement,

j a cam member pivotally mounted in said at the other, a

said casing to swing outwardly through the opening therein andhaving a cam extending into said recess, said cam having a curved slot therein, a pivot extending transversely through said head' and through the slot in said cam whereby the jaws are retracted on the outward swinging of the cam and projected on the inward swinging thereof.

. 4. A clamping device comprising a tubular casing having an opening in one side wall thereof, clamping jaws mounted for sliding movement therein, means for closing said jaws on their outward movement, a cam member pivotally mounted in said casing to swing out through said casing opening, a head loosely connected at one end with said jaws and having a recess in its other end, said recess being deeper at one side of the head than at the other, a jaw operating element pivotally mounted in said casing to swing outwardly through the opening therein and having a cam extendinginto said recess, said cam having a curved slot extending longitudinally thereof, a pivot extending transversely through said head and through -the slot in said cam whereby the jaws are retracted on the outward swinging of the cam and projected on the inward swinging thereof, and a cam actuating element mounted in its free end.

5. A clamping device comprising a tubular casing having an opening in one side wall thereof, clamping jaws mounted for sliding movement therein, means for closing said jaws on their outward movement, a cam member` pivotally mounted in said casing to swing out through said casing opening, a" head loosely connected at one endv with said jaws and having a recess in its other end, a jaw operating element pivotally mounted in said casing to swing through the opening therein and having a longitudinally slotted cam extending into the recess of sald head, a pivot extending transverselythrough l said head and through the slot in said cam whereby the jaws are retracted on the outward swing of the cam and projected on the inward swinging thereof, and yieldable means for retaining said cam in closed position.

6. A clamping device comprising a tubular casing having an opening in one side wall thereof, clamping jaws mounted for sliding movement therein, means for closing said jaws on their outward movement, a cam member pivotally mounted in said casing to swing out through said casing opening,fa head loosely connected at one end with said jaws and having a recess in its other end, a jaw operating element pivotally mounted in said casing to swing through the opening therein and having a longitudinally slotted cam extending into the recess of said head, a pivot extending transversely through said head and through the slot in said cam whereby the jaws are retracted on the outward swing of the cam and projected on the inward swinging thereof, said cam having a socket in its lower end adjacent said casing opening, and a coiled springengaged with said casing and extending into said cam socket.

7.,A clamping device comprising a tubuwall thereof, clamping jaws mounted for sliding movement therein, means for closing said jaws on theiroutward movement, a cam member pivotally mounted in said casing to swing out through said casing opening, a` head loosely connected at one end with said jaws and having a recess in its other end, a jaw operating element pivotally mounted in said casing to swing through thel opening therein and having a longitudinally slotted cam extending into the recess of said head and through the slot in said cam whereby the jaws are retracted on the outward swing of the cam and projected on the inward swinging thereof, said cam having a sockt in its lower end adjacent said casing opening, a stud extending longitudinally inward from the lower endv of the opening in said casing, and a coiled sprlng engaged with sai-d casing and extendmg into said cam socket.

In'testimony whereof I have hereunto s et my hand in presence of two subscribing wit- 

